I set out on my Moon Bike, a nearly 25 year old former rental from Nantucket, saddlebag filled to bursting with recording equipment and implements of mass percussion.

For those unfamiliar with the UA campus, the architecture is a mix of modern and institutional retro-authentic with all sorts of acoustically interesting structures and environments.

For this sound expedition I was interested in exploring the sonic properties of outdoor sculptures peppering the campus, some prominently placed, others tucked away.

These mostly metal works house wonderful tones, natural delays and reverbs.

I've played many of them informally, tapping external skins and listening, ear-to-metal, to ascertain playability. For this trip I planned to make a formal go of it, with the intent of eventually building an immersive sound environment.

Before going on I want to make sure it is understood my playing/ recording of these sculptures is done with the utmost respect for both the works and the artists.

All of the sculptures were played gently and lightly with either fingertips or soft mallets.

To my mind, playing the world should never be an act of vandalism.

The prime directive is to take only sounds, leave only footprints.

I also find playing and listening to public sculpture creates an intimate connection with the work rarely experienced.

The next time you're out for a walk and pass a public sculpture, perhaps on the University of Arizona campus, give a listen.

You'll likely be amazed at the richness of the acoustic environment inside.

This work is hollow and without visible seams, giving it a deep bass resonating quality that is immediately noticeable.

The interior of this sculpture nicely captures external sounds (buses, birds, voices) and feeds them back in warm drones. The sculpture is mounted on a hollow metal base which adds to the acoustics.

For this sounding I played the sculpture with my fingertips and a soft mallet (cotton wrapped in fabric).

The slightest touch set off a cascade of natural bass reverberations which I used to improvise with the reflected external sounds. (Warning: Deep subsonic tones can blow out speakers not up to the task. Listen with caution.)

Located throughout the Alumni Plaza are numerous Silvertone benches in groups of four and five. Acoustically each bench offers unique Gamelan and bell-like tones when struck. In time I discovered the vibrations can set off the support railing and seat lattice/ scaffolding with a natural feedback of sorts. The location also features a steady drone of cicadas which is featured on the recordings.

This work built by Taller Yonke (Two artists with whom I had collaborated to affix actual instruments to the real border wall in Nogales. Mexico ~ FIRST, SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH) is meant to resemble the border wall in Nogales with giant figures supporting it.

Ironically, the Taller Yonke version seems to be better built than the actual wall, so I took to playing the giant figures with soft mallets, developing a "heart-beat" rhythm on the warm sounding steel.

This central campus building contains design elements meant to resemble the U.S.S. Arizona which sank in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In one section of the building a pool fed with water dripping down two anchor chains is housed in a subterranean location with phenomenal acoustics. A straight sound portrait of this ambient location was recorded.

Created by Donald Haskin, Glyph is a 15-foot, 2,800-pound stainless steel sculpture designed to resemble an abstract American Indian petroglyph. This sculpture is sonically more dense than it appears. However, there are locations that create tones not unlike a tabla. I played Glyph using finger tips and a rubber wrapped alligator clip.

Pedaling through waves of cicada drones and rising heat, following the monsoon clouds just above the horizon, I find myself listening and drifting thinking: It was a good day to sound. A good day to jar.